


Agatha Finds Out

by GayGremlin



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Agatha finds out, Coming Out, Gen, M/M, Mention Of Homophobia, Mostly Fluff, So Fluff and Angst, cute nicknames, it's cute I think, kinda angsty, mention of baz's dad, not from agatha though, she's shocked but accepting, simon and baz love each other okay, very brief mention of sexual content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25667854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayGremlin/pseuds/GayGremlin
Summary: Agatha plans a surprise daytrip to see Simon and Penny while she's in the U.K. for Spring Break.  Of course, the day of, she has trouble quelling her nerves.How will the dynamic be?How will they react?And one other thing... Does Simon have a new girlfriend?A.K.A. what happens when Agatha shows up at the Snow-Bunce apartment and only Baz is there to greet her and Simon never bothered to inform Agatha about their relationship.  How does Agatha react?  How do things unfold?  Read to find out.
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Comments: 4
Kudos: 198





	Agatha Finds Out

**Author's Note:**

> Hola mis amores! Your local lesbian here who doesn't have enough creativity to come up with her own characters and plot lines so I ride off the backs of others!!  
> I had a lot of fun writing this.  
> I'm also going through another Carry On phase after finally reading Wayward Son. Litcherally love these two, thanks so much Rainbow Rowell for giving us the queer rep that we needed!  
> Anyway, enjoy and leave a comment and/or kudos if you'd like <3.  
> Constructive criticism is always appreciated!! <333

It was pouring down rain and Agatha Wellbelove wished that she had brought a coat. Instead she was sitting on a cold metal bench underneath the plexiglass covering of a bus shelter, chilled to the bone and absolutely drenched from head to toe. She sat with her legs crossed and arms folded snug to her chest, scowling at her own lack of foresight. At the airport back in California, it made perfect sense to be wearing nothing more than a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. The sun had been out and the air had been humid. A typical Southern California day. But of course, upon arriving in the U.K., she immediately realized her mistake. 

So now she was sitting there on a bench that might as well have been freezing her ass off, waiting for the 4:30 bus to arrive, shivering and soaked from just the short walk from the airport to the nearest stop. Her t-shirt clung stiffly and uncomfortably to her body, and her hair looked almost comically drenched. Occasionally she’d have to reach up to swipe a soggy strand away from her eyes, grimacing in irritation. The outside of the rolling suitcase which she had brought with her was damp to the touch, and she was dully concerned about its contents being wet as well. But really, she had much bigger things to worry about. 

‘Maybe this was a bad idea,’ she thought to herself anxiously, but she soon quelled it. This was no time to be having second thoughts. Besides, the bus was going to be arriving any minute. There was no way she was going to be getting out of this. 

She had decided to visit her old friends, Simon Snow and Penelope Bunce. It was a surprise visit. They had no idea that she was coming. She had come home to the U.K. to stay with her parents for the week, for Spring Break, but decided to make a short stop at the Bunce-Snow apartment on her way. Looking back, she wondered how she could have ever thought this to be a good idea. 

It’s not as though she thought that she’d be unwelcome. She and Penny had kept in touch through texting and Skype, and Penny (staying true to character) had taken almost every opportunity she had to try to convince Agatha to come visit.

“Come on!” she’d plead, whining like a child, much to Agatha’s dual annoyance and amusement. “It would be so much fun!” Agatha would just roll her eyes and smile softly at her friend through her laptop screen. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll think about it,” she’d reply in a tone that really meant ‘Yeah, no’. Penny would groan and drop her head dramatically into her folded arms, making Agatha laugh. She missed her friends. She really did. She was just worried… What would the dynamic be like when she actually showed up in person? They hadn’t actually seen each other since their last experience at Watford. Would it be awkward? Would things just resume as they always had been as if nothing had ever happened? Would it be awkward with Simon, her ex whom she had (in a way) left for his rival?

‘Don’t be silly,’ she chastised herself. ‘You and Simon still get along. You and him are on good terms. He’ll be happy to see you. It’ll be fine.’ 

She and Simon hadn’t really spoken one-on-one since their breakup in their seventh year, but on occasion they had chatted amiably while she and Penny were Skyping each other. They both knew that at the end of the day there were no hard feelings. They’d have each other’s backs no matter what.

‘You’ll be fine,’ Agatha reassured herself. Though the sentiment fell flat.

Sooner than she might have liked (despite being unbearably cold and wet), the bus arrived at the stop and she boarded, rolling her suitcase gawkily behind her. She gave the tired, surly-looking bus driver her fare, and took a seat towards the back of the bus where she knew that no one was likely to sit next to her. She plopped herself down heavily into her seat and tossed her suitcase onto the seat beside her with some effort. Leaning back against the backrest, she finally closed her eyes and breathed out a long sigh. 

‘God, what have I gotten myself into?’

She lurched slightly as the bus’ parking brake was pulled off and the bus jerked into life, and she opened her eyes to stare out the window. Places that she hadn’t seen in over a year passed through her field of vision, soon to disappear behind them as the bus trudged on in the pouring rain. As she leaned her head lazily against the window, Agatha couldn’t decide whether she had missed Britain or not. The scenery was all gray and dreary, and she felt a wave of nostalgic gloominess wash over her. 

‘Yeah,’ she thought to herself with a touch of bitterness. ‘I think I like California much better.’

Her train of thought eventually circled back to her friends, who she realized she would be seeing in only a half an hour, perhaps even less. With that, she felt a sense of dread. She couldn’t help but worry. But a part of her (the one that she hoped would soon outweigh the anxiety) was excited to see them. They were her friends after all, and the three of them had gone through so much shit together. They needed each other, whether they’d deny it or not.

Besides that, she was also curious. How had their lives turned out over the course of the last year or so? Of course, she knew a great deal about Penny’s life. She practically never shut up about it. Agatha knew everything about what she was doing in school, who her favorite uni teachers were, who her least favorites were, who her project partners were and whether she liked them or not. Agatha had heard all about her part-time job as a barista, and about her co-workers who she liked and about her boss who she didn’t. Yes, she knew all about Penny. It was Simon that she hadn’t heard too much about.

“How’s Simon doing by the way?” she’d ask on occasion during one of their usual Skype calls. Penny would avert her gaze and pick at her fingernails with her thumb, a nervous tick of hers that Agatha had noticed over the years. (Whether or not they had been the best of friends at Watford, they had still spent a great deal of time together. They knew each other well.) She'd look mildly uncomfortable and she’d be silent for a second before choosing a response. 

“You should ask him yourself,” she’d suggest finally, not unkindly. Agatha would sigh exasperatedly at this, and Penny would laugh in an attempt to break the awkwardness. “What am I, my best friend’s keeper?” she’d chuckle, and Agatha wouldn’t be able to help but to chuckle with her. 

“Come on, Penny,” she’d persist, though admittedly weakly. “You know how awkward that could be…” She’d trail off, feeling a slight sense of guilt. Despite their breakup, she knew that it shouldn’t be this hard to talk to him. He was just Simon, after all. 

Penny would sigh sympathetically and give her a sad smile through the laptop screen. 

“I know, I know,” she’d say. “But I just don’t think it’s my place to say anything.” 

‘Well, that’s vague,’ Agatha would think with a twinge irritation. But in the end, she’d just let it go.

She never did reach out to Simon. Not directly, at least. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it. 

‘Don’t be such a coward,’ she’d scolded herself. ‘It’s Simon. What’s the worst that could happen?’ But she was deterred from reaching out nonetheless. 

But now, at least, her curiosity would be satisfied. She still cared for him, and wanted to know how he was doing. How had he been coping with the aftermath of the events which had transpired during their last year at Watford? What exactly was it that he was studying at uni? What was his part-time job that he had told her about but never elaborated on? Did he have any new friends? Did he have a new girlfriend?

The rain was now coming down in sheets so thick that she could hardly see out the window anymore. The water cascaded down the glass like a waterfall, making everything outside the confines of the bus nothing more than a gray blur. She sighed tiredly, laying her head against the backrest of her seat once again, and stared up at the ceiling, completely lost in thought. 

‘Does he have a new girlfriend?’ she thought to herself again. She felt a twinge of… something… in her chest. A something that she wasn’t too fond of. It wasn’t jealousy, per say. She was the one who had broken it off with Simon, after all. And besides, they hadn’t been together in over a year, and she had gotten over her romantic feelings for him even before that. But what she did feel was a strange and illogical sense of ‘I had him first. Who could replace me? Who is good enough for Simon?’ 

She winced, and her chest constricted with guilt. No, she wasn’t being fair. She wasn’t being fair to Simon. She wasn’t being fair to herself. And she wasn’t being fair to this (potential) new girl.

‘Maybe he and Penny got together,’ she mused. ‘They’ve always been close, and they’re even living together now.’ But she shook her head at the thought. Penny would have told her about something as significant as that. She told her about literally everything, after all. 

Soon enough, she had reached her stop. Feeling almost nauseous with anxiety (excitement?), she stood stiffly from her seat and ambled to the front of the bus, accidentally bumping into the elbows of a few irritated passengers along the way. She thanked the bus driver dully, earning only a low, uninterested grunt in return, and exited the bus. The apartment building she was looking for was only around a block away, but the task of walking there seemed all-too daunting. Not only was she feeling a great deal of apprehension manifesting in the pit of her stomach, the heavy rainfall hadn’t managed to slow in the slightest either. 

The automatic doors of the bus closed behind her with a shrill screech, and the bus gave a loud, gassy groan as it started up again. Bringing herself out of her reverie with a quick shake of her head, she started making her way towards her friends’ home. The walk, which couldn’t have taken more than five minutes tops, felt like an eternity. Yet again, she cursed herself for not bringing a coat, or at the very least an umbrella. Her clothes, which had been mercifully beginning to dry during her time on the heated bus, were getting drenched yet again. She only hoped that Penny would allow her a spare set of clothes, and perhaps a towel to dry her hair. 

Finally she reached the apartment building she knew to be her friends’. (Penny had given her the address months ago when Agatha had sent her a birthday gift via mail.) She stood underneath the synthetic awning above the main entrance and tirely tugged on the knob of the double door.

It was locked. Of course it was.

She cursed under her breath. Her anxiety only continued to grow. Turning to her right, she noticed the rectangular intercom attached to the wall beside the door. Taking a deep breath, she ran her finger down the list of names before pressing the button beside the name ‘Penelope Bunce’ (the apartment must have been rented under her name). The machine emitted an obnoxious buzzing sound that vaguely reminded her of the sensation of nails on a chalkboard. She winced. After a moment, a crackling voice came through the small speaker.

“Hello?” it said. And with a start she realized who it was…

Holy shit.

What was Baz Pitch doing in Simon and Penny’s apartment?!

“Hello?” the disembodied voice of her ex-crush called again with a touch of his signature exasperation. The ‘you’re wasting my time’ arrogant exasperation that she had come to know all too well during her time at Watford.

“U-Uh yes, hi,” she responded, her voice cracking and catching in her throat. “It’s… it’s Agatha…” Baz was silent for a moment, and understandably so.

“Wellbelove?” he questioned.

“Y-Yep, that’s me,” she gave with a strained laugh that came out far louder and harsher than she had intended. 

‘What the fuck is going on?!’ she thought to herself. Her mind raced with all of the possibilities. Had he fucking broken in? Was he there to pull some sort of trick on Simon? Was their truce still valid? What was happening?!

Baz was silent for a moment, before uttering a stiff “Come on up,” and beside her she heard a loud click signifying the unlocking of the door. “It’s the third floor, apartment 5C.” Agatha nodded, too caught up in her thoughts to remember that he couldn’t actually see her. 

“Oh! Uh, yeah, th-thanks,” she responded hurriedly after a moment of silence. The intercom cut out without another word.

Her heart thudded loudly in her chest. What the hell was she getting herself into? She wasn’t even sure if she was ready to see Simon again, let alone Baz fucking Pitch. 

But she still managed to drag herself and her luggage up three flights of stairs (‘Why the fuck don’t they have an elevator?’ she thought irritatedly), before arriving at the doorstep of apartment 5C. She stood on the welcome mat for a moment, taking a few deep breaths and trying to collect herself. Water dripped onto the mat from her sodden clothes and she felt more uncomfortable than ever. Shaking her head a final time, she lifted her fist and knocked firmly on the door. The sound of footsteps could be heard from inside and a few seconds later the door swung open to reveal Basilton Pitch standing there in an ironed t-shirt and fitted jeans, attempting to look as indifferent as ever. 

But despite his best efforts, Agatha could see the confusion in his eyes.

“... Hi,” she said awkwardly after a moment of tense silence.

“Hello, Wellbelove,” he responded tersely before stepping to the side to let her in. She didn’t move. He sighed, exasperated. “Well, come on now, we don’t have all day.” With a start, she finally brought herself to move, stepping through the doorway and into the small apartment, dragging her suitcase along with her. Baz closed the door behind her with a quiet thud, and Agatha could practically feel his eyes burning holes into the back of her head. She didn’t like this. Not one bit.

‘How is he so calm?’ she thought to herself with a growing sense of alarm. ‘What gave him the right to just… let me in?”

“What brings you here?” he asked after another moment of almost unbearable silence. 

“I was visiting my parents and I thought I’d stop by and say hi to Simon and Penny,” she told him, trying her best to sound polite and not half as confused as she felt. It took all of her self control to not yell “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” directly into his face.

“I see,” he responded. They were silent again. Agatha felt as though if she were to die on the spot, she would be perfectly fine with that. Anything to get away from this situation. “Well, they should be back soon,” he told her finally. “Probably in the next 10, 15 minutes or so. Their classes ended around a half an hour ago.” Agatha nodded numbly. Baz sighed. “I’ll go grab you some dry clothes.” She nodded again as he sauntered out of the room.

It took him only around 3 minutes to return with a pair of light blue sweatpants and a large green t-shirt slung over his arm. (Agatha had half a mind to bark out a laugh. He had them draped over his forearm like a waiter in a fancy restaurant.) He passed the clothes to her without another word, and she gave him a curt but grateful nod in return. 

“Where’s the bathroom?” she asked after yet another insufferable bout of silence. He looked startled for a moment, before recomposing himself.

“Oh, yes,” he replied with an air of forced politeness similar to her own. “It’s down that short hall there, first door to your left.” Agatha thanked him again before scurrying to the bathroom. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she let out an exhausted sigh. 

‘You’re being quite dramatic,’ she scolded herself. ‘You’re just worked up, is all, and Baz being here just threw you for a loop. There are plenty of perfectly good reasons why he’s here. Besides, it shouldn’t be this hard to see your old friends. It’s just Simon and Penny. There’s no need to be getting so worked up.’ She sighed again for what was probably the millionth time that day before tugging off her sopping wet clothes and tossing them into the bathtub with a heavy, unpleasant plop. The feeling of dry clothes against her skin was like heaven as she pulled them on, despite the fact that her back was still damp and made the t-shirt cling slightly to her skin. After she had finished getting dressed, drying her long blonde hair with a towel, and slinging her wet clothes over the shower rod so that they could dry, she took in a deep, calming breath. She just needed to remember that she had no need to be this anxious, and that she could not, in any circumstance here, lose her cool. Shooting herself a strained smile in the streak-stained mirror, she exited the bathroom.

Baz was in the joint kitchen and living room when she came out, standing languidly in front of the stove. His back was turned to her, and he was focused intently on a tea kettle which was emitting a waft of light steam into the air from its spout. He was still as handsome as she remembered him, she realized. A tad bit older, more mature looking (they were both 20 now after all), and as suave and sophisticated as he ever was back at Watford. His hair had grown out longer as well, and now fell down to his shoulders in a silky, light, easy motion. His straight dark hair still tended to fall into his eyes, she saw. Occasionally he’d have to lazily push it away from his face and tuck it behind his ear with one of his long, slim fingers. She couldn’t help but blush, despite the fact that she wasn’t actually into him anymore. But really, no one could blame her. Who wouldn’t find him attractive?

Back when they had attended Watford together, she had had something of a schoolgirl crush on him. That much was true. She couldn’t deny it. He was the Bad Boy, he was the alluring and the unattainable. She felt guilty, of course, for being with Simon (who she had always thought was a great guy, there was no doubt about that) yet having the hots for his arch nemesis. But that didn’t change the fact that she had liked him at some point, and that she had technically left her long-term boyfriend for him. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and averted her eyes guiltily. 

‘Yeah,’ she thought to herself sarcastically. ‘Thinking about that is gonna make today so much easier.’ 

Pulling herself back into the present, she cleared her throat loudly. Baz startle. He turned around to face her and leaned back against the countertop in a way that he obviously hoped came across as nonchalant. It didn’t. She had known him for too many years to not notice how tense he truly was. She knew what his nonchalant, uncaring, cold-hearted stance was. She had seen it far too many times, not to mention that Simon had never shut up about it in all the time that she’d known him.

“Well, Wellbelove,” he said. “Would you like any tea?” 

“Sure, that’d be lovely,” she responded in the same tense-but-polite tone. 

‘God,’ she thought to herself desperately. ‘When are Penny and Simon gonna get here?’

Baz turned towards the cupboard and pulled out a couple of mugs, and proceeded to pour tea into both from the still-steaming kettle. 

‘How the hell does he know where the mugs are?’ she couldn’t help but ask herself. ‘How is he just… using the tea kettle? Why is he acting like he owns the place? Why is he here!?”

He then ushered her over to the sitting area, where the two sat down across from each other, Baz ridgedly on the couch and Agatha awkwardly on the loveseat, the coffee table between them. They were silent again and Agatha wanted to be anywhere but there. The same thought kept running through her mind:

‘What in the everloving fuck is Baz Pitch doing here?!’

Finally, after the silence became almost too much to bear, she asked him.

“Hey, so, uh,” she started awkwardly, fumbling with her words slightly and making Baz look up from where he had been staring fixedly at the tea in his mug. He quirked an eyebrow at her, inviting (daring?) her to go on. “So… Not to be rude or anything, but um… Well, what exactly are you doing here?”

To her surprise, he just gave her a perplexed look. He tilted his head slightly, as if asking ‘Why wouldn’t I be here’? Her cheeks reddened, and she felt slightly embarrassed.

‘Goddamn it Agatha!’ she chided herself again. ‘It’s not your fault you don’t know why he’s here! No one ever told you anything!’

A look of realization dawned on him. 

“You don’t… you don’t know?”

“What don’t I know?”

“Well,” he began, a look of slight discomfort contorting his sharp features. “The thing is-”

It was then that they heard the clanking sound signifying the unlocking of the door, and they both jerked their heads up quickly to look (Agatha quirking her neck in the process, making her muscles tingle painfully). 

‘Oh, thank god,’ she thought with relief.

“So anyway, I said- Oh, hey Baz!” Simon called happily. He must not have noticed Agatha yet. The semi-wall between the hallway and the living room jutted out just enough to block her from view from where he and Penny were standing in the doorway, not to mention that the chair that she was sitting in faced away from the door and into the living room. 

To her surprise, Baz smiled warmly, which only added to her confusion. She had never, ever seen either of them communicate so amiably, let alone truly smile at each other or be happy to see each other. What was going on?

“Hey, love,” Baz responded warmly before standing from the couch and strolling over to where Simon and Penny were removing their rain boots and slickers, which were still dripping profusely from the downpour outside. 

‘Wait, LOVE?!’ Agatha thought with alarm. Leaning over and crooking her neck to the side, she twisted herself enough to get a better look at them. 

Simon had aged well, much like Baz. His curly red hair was still as unruly as ever, but it was charming. A universe of freckles lightly dusted his face, and he had filled out nicely where his shoulders and pecs were concerned. His wings and tail were gone too, thanks to Agatha’s father, and he looked happy. He looked healthy. He looked good.

“How was your day today?” Baz asked him softly, so soft that Agatha could hardly hear him. He placed his hand languidly on Simon’s waist and Simon gazed adoringly up at him in return. Penny, who was standing beside them and hanging up her slicker on the coat rack, just turned away with a smirk and a roll of her eyes. 

“It was fine,” Simon responded in an equally soft voice.

And then.

And fucking then.

Simon leaned up and kissed Baz right dab smack on the lips. Agatha blanched and her eyes went almost comically wide.

‘Holy shit holy fuck holy shit holy f-’

It was Penny who noticed her first. She stood frozen in front of the coat rack, hand not even lowered from hanging up her jacket. Her eyes went wide as well, mirroring Agatha’s. They stared in shock at each other for a few moments before Penny finally spoke up.

“Agatha,” she said, both a statement and question wrapped into one. Simon whipped his head away from Baz to see Agatha leaning over the loveseat, too shocked to say anything.

“O-Oh,” he said, his voice cracking and throat turning dry. “Hi Aggie…”

None of them knew what to say.

“That’s why… Baz was in the apartment...,” Agatha said in a high-pitched, breathy voice, finally starting to connect the dots.

“Yes, that’s why I was in the apartment,” Baz responded, seemingly completely unaffected by this turn of events. (Was the motherfucker enjoying this?!) His lips were pulled up into a slight smirk, and his eyes had a glint to them which said, ‘That’s right, Wellbelove’. 

Simon’s eyes darted between Agatha and Baz nervously, not quite sure what to say. 

‘He was never that good with words,’ Agatha remembered with a strange sense of fondness. Despite everything, she had missed him. 

Penny mercifully decided to speak up first, likely knowing that neither Baz nor Simon were going to do it. She cleared her throat purposefully. 

“Hi Agatha,” she greeted her. “What… What brings you here?” Agatha opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, gulping like a fish out of water, not quite sure what to say at first.

“I… I was just coming to visit,” she responded lamely. “I’m visiting my parents for Spring Break and I thought that I would just stop here for the day since, y’know, we haven’t actually seen each other in a while and stuff…” Penny chucked slightly and smiled.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” she responded in a sedated but sincere voice. “We’ve definitely missed you.” Agatha felt a tidal wave of relief wash over her. At least she wasn’t unwelcome. 

They were all quiet again for a moment (god, these awkward silences were going to be the death of her!). 

“Well, we have quite a bit of catching up to do!” Penny laughed with only a hint of the previous awkwardness, clapping her hands together and smiling brightly. Good ol’ Penny. Agatha laughed dryly. 

“You could say that again.” Penny just tittered good-naturedly at that. 

‘Wow, she got over that quickly,’ Agatha thought to herself. But she appreciated it. She didn’t think that she could have stood even one more second of suffocating silence. Penny strided over to her and perched herself on the armrest of the chair where Agatha was sitting. She immediately pulled her into a tight embrace. After only a moment of surprise and hesitation, Agatha hugged back. God, she appreciated Penny. Penny then moved to sit on the carpeted floor in front of her, folding her legs beneath herself, resting her arm on Agatha’s thigh, and smiling happily up at her friend. 

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” she asked, though there wasn’t a hint of anger behind the question. Agatha smiled guiltily, a light pink blush dusting her pale cheeks.

“I thought it’d be kinda fun to surprise you guys,” she replied. 

‘Which was a bad fucking idea,’ she thought for the millionth time that day. Penny laughed. 

“Well, it’s so good to see you!” she squealed again before pulling Agatha’s midsection into a tight hug.

“You too,” she responded happily, patting Penny’s thick mane of hair. After a moment, Agatha leaned away from the hug and sat up properly. 

“But… You never told me about… them,” she said, gesturing towards Simon and Baz, who had made their way into the kitchen and were now pulling a plastic container of scones out of the pantry (presumably for Simon). The boy in question wore a worried expression and was whisper-yelling to Baz, just quiet enough so that Agatha couldn’t make out what he was saying. Baz just gave him a sympathetic smile and rubbed his back, chuckling a couple times which only made Simon punch him in the shoulder (but brought a small smile to his face nonetheless). Penny shifted uncomfortably, tucking her skirt beneath her legs and averting her gaze from her friend. 

“Well…,” she responded, obviously choosing her words carefully. “I never really thought that it was my place to tell, y’know? Like, I didn’t want to out him, if he wasn’t, y’know comfortable with it, or if he wasn’t ready. Because it’s supposed to be his thing, coming out I mean, and well… I didn’t want to impede on that. And I didn’t really know how to bring up Baz without doing that so… So that’s why I encouraged you to reach out to Simon yourself. I encouraged him to do the same. Reach out to you, I mean. I guess that little shit didn’t take my advice either-” she snickered “- But I just never thought that it was my responsibility nor my right to be the one to tell you.” Agatha nodded. That was fair enough, she supposed. She felt a slight twinge of irritation and betrayal at the fact that Simon never told her, that he possibly didn’t trust her enough to tell her, but then she reminded herself that she had never actually reached out to him either. ‘The phone works both ways’ as the saying goes.

She turned herself around fully to face Simon and Baz. 

“Hey, Si?” she called out. Simon immediately halted his rushed conversation with Baz and whipped his head around to look at her. He looked incredibly anxious. ‘He looks how I probably did earlier today,’ she thought with a pang of guilt at the thought that she had caused this. 

“Hi, Aggie,” he said again, in a voice that was far too small and uncertain for her liking. That feeling of guilt welled up in her again, but she quelled it. There was no use worrying about that now. All she needed to do was show him… that it wasn’t his fault. That he shouldn’t be so nervous. That there was nothing wrong with him. That it was merely shock that had brought up this reaction in her, and not revoltion or disdain for the fact that he was… gay? Bi? She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment by prying and questioning him. And really, it wasn’t any of her business in the first place.

So she smiled at him. A real, genuine smile. She watched as his shoulders relaxed with relief and his chest lower with a long exhale. He smiled back, though still looking a bit unsure. She planned on changing that.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking Simon,” she started, before realizing how accusatory that probably sounded. His shoulders tensed again but she shook her head and waved her hands dismissively in front of herself. “No, no, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” she reiterated and Simon relaxed again. “I mean… I don’t know if you’re thinking that I’m… that I’m mad or anything. ‘Cause I’m not. I was just surprised, is all.” She chuckled slightly and to her relief, Simon did too.

“Really?” Simon asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand.

“Really,” Agatha replied with a tone of finality. “But,” she started and Simon jerked his head up with wide eyes. “Baz? Really? What the hell happened?! Last thing I knew, you guys were only on an uneasy truce!” She tried not to sound too accusatory as she said this, but she couldn’t help it. Baz and Simon? Together?! They had spent all of 7 years hating each other and fighting and bitching and screaming and pitching fits! What the hell changed?!

Simon smiled bashfully and Baz’s smirk only grew. His hand hadn’t left its spot on Simon’s waist, Agatha noticed. 

“Well, it started Christmas of seventh year-”

“CHRISTMAS?!” Agatha practically screeched, having half a mind to jump off the couch for the theater of it. “But Penny and I saw you on Christmas!” 

Baz laughed.

“You did, and little to your knowledge, the night before, we had… consummated our relationship,” Baz replied, which made Simon blush a deep red.

“Come on, we didn’t fu-”

Baz just laughed, cutting him off. 

“Well they definitely have since,” Penny muttered under her breath, her voice laced with irritation. “You’d think they’d learn to use a fucking silencing spell already. Sometimes they seem to forget that I have the unforgiving task of living here too.” Agatha covered her mouth to hide what was either going to be a gasp or a laugh. Luckily neither Simon or Baz noticed.

Silence fell over the room again, but this time it was companionable. It was comfortable. Agatha decided that she liked this one much better. 

Some part of her, she realized, had always had a feeling about this whole ‘Simon and Baz thing’. Simon’s unnatural obsession with Baz. Always having to keep tabs on him. The way he acted when Baz was missing for 6 weeks (he had nearly lost his mind and it had driven Agatha and Penny absolutely batshit!). The strange looks Baz had always given him, looks which the three of them had always passed off as hatred but now… seemed almost like longing. 

Hatred mixed with longing. 

Hatred because Simon was making him feel all these strange things, things that he had been taught were unnatural. Things that he had been taught were bad. Agatha could almost hear Malcomn Grimm yelling at a young 15 year old Baz, going on about “carrying on the Grimm-Pitch bloodline” and “the natural way of things” and “what will the other Old Families think?!” and “your mother would be ashamed” and “literally any girl would have you, just choose one!”... 

Longing because Simon was unattainable. Simon was straight (or so he thought). Simon had a girlfriend, one whom everyone was convinced he was destined to marry one day. Simon hated him. Simon thought that Baz hated him in return.

In a way, it all made sense.

In that moment, Agatha felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. 

All this time she had believed that it was her with whom Baz was flirting with. What a fool she had been. Looking back, she saw all the signs that he was hopelessly queer. He had only flirted with her to make Simon jealous (a brilliant and flawless boyfriend-attracting technique which she was sure Penny had been taking every opportunity to tease him for). How had she just realized this now? She could smack herself, she felt so stupid. 

Hindsight really is a bitch.

“Does he make you happy?” she asked Simon. Simon blushed at this and looked fondly up at Baz. 

“Yeah,” he responded, which made Baz smile and squeeze his hip. “Yeah he does.” Agatha nodded approvingly. 

“Then I’m okay with it.”

The rest of the day went well. All of her worrying had been in vain after all, because they were able to pick up their friendship as if they had never been apart. Things with Simon weren’t half as awkward as she had expected them to be (though she had a sneaking suspicion that a part of it was due to the fact that he was taken and potentially not even into girls in the first place). He confided in her later that evening that he didn’t really know what his sexuality was. He just knew that he liked Baz. 

Agatha couldn’t help but smile at that. She could tell that he was incredibly happy with Baz. Happier than he ever had been with her. She expected to feel a sense of bitterness at this realization, but… she just felt happy for him. More than anything, she was glad. She felt light. She felt at ease. He had found someone who could give him everything that he needed and more. Someone who could love him for all that he was and all that he wasn’t. Someone who, Simon admitted sheepishly, he thought that he could possibly spend the rest of his life with. She wasn’t that person. She never was that person. She could never be that person. And that was okay. He had found the one for him, and she was happy for him.

For dinner, they went out to a local diner. The four of them had more fun than they ever expected to (or at least more than Agatha had expected). Simon and Baz threaded their fingers together lightly while traipsing down the sidewalk afterwards, and although some people gave them the telltale grimace and look of ‘please don’t do anything gay’, it didn’t seem to faze them. Or more accurately, it didn’t seem to faze Baz. Simon appeared slightly perturbed, but it only seemed to make him hold onto Baz tighter. Penny, who was walking beside Agatha and behind the two boys, leaned over and whispered, “I think Baz makes him feel brave”. 

Agatha couldn’t help but agree.

All too soon, the night came to an end and Agatha had to take her leave. She was to ride the 10:00 bus up to where her parents lived (a three hour bus ride! Go figure! Though she knew that she was likely to just fall asleep anyway. She had had a long day after all). They all hugged at the door of the apartment, Simon giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek and Penny practically crushing her to death with an embrace. Baz even gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder, which, really, was more than she could have ever asked for. Despite the two becoming closer now that he was with Simon, they still weren’t ‘at that point’ yet. She didn’t know if they ever would be. But what she did know was that if Simon liked him, then she liked him. 

Once again, she hauled her heavy suitcase down the hallway of the third floor, feeling lighter than she had before. As she dragged her luggage down the stairs, the wheels making a loud thumping sound as they fell from one step to the next, she smiled. She felt happy. She had been so stupid to be so nervous before.

When she got outside, the rain had become nothing but a light drizzle. The night air felt cool and nice on her skin, and she let out a sigh of contentment. Fortunately for her, Penny had allowed her to borrow a fold-up umbrella. 

“Just be sure to give it back before you head back to Cali,” she had told her when Agatha had tried to protest. She said the same about her clothes. “It gives you a good reason to come see us again before you leave!” Agatha had agreed, and now her wet clothes had been stuffed into a plastic ziplock bag and shoved unceremoniously into her suitcase. Penny’s clothes were more comfortable anyway.

Looking up, she saw Simon waving at her from their covered balcony, illuminated by the streetlight which was positioned directly in front of their building. His form cast a shadow on the pavement in front of her, which was waving as well. She chuckled and waved back. 

“Come inside, Snow!” Agatha heard Baz call. Simon laughed. 

“Coming, love!” he called back, before turning to give Agatha one last cheerful grin and an enthusiastic wave goodbye. She smiled. 

She only had to wait at the bus stop for around 5 minutes. Once again, she boarded the bus, gave the driver her fare, and took a seat towards the back. She leaned her head against the backrest comfortably and smiled. Her mouth was starting to ache from smiling so much. It felt… nice. Nice to smile this much. Nice to be happy. 

‘It’s weird, isn’t it?’ she thought to herself. ‘How two people so different could be the ones for each other.’

She could tell that they were in love. More in love than she and Simon had ever been. And she couldn’t have been happier for them.

After all that he’d gone through, Simon Snow deserved it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! I wrote it all at like 4 a.m. lol.


End file.
